Russian moviegoers have an ambiguous attitude towards Russian cinema. And it is not surprising, because many reviews of this or that Russian film are much more interesting than itself. Fortunately, with the help of viewers' reviews on Kinopoisk, you can always separate the cinematic "wheat from the chaff". To save you from disappointment, we have selected the best Russian films of 2016-2017 with a rating of at least 6.6 on Kinopoisk.
Read also: list of the best Russian TV series 2017.
15.Moscow, I endure you (2016)
Rating (Kinopoisk): 6.6
Genre: melodrama, comedy
On a beautiful sunny day, Alexander decides to take a break from the hustle and bustle and devote time to his favorite pastime. But pleasant plans are not destined to come true. Indeed, one day both clients, and the girlfriend, and a friend, and a suddenly "come in large numbers" classmate demand the immediate presence of Alexander.
A feature of the film is that it was filmed without government support. And it only did him good. The reviews say good camera work, beautiful views of Moscow and a sincere plot. As one of the viewers wrote, it turned out “the same good old vaudeville, in, so to speak, arrangement”.
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14. Big (2016)
Rating: 6.6
Genre: drama
It is very interesting to watch the ballet. Snow-white tutus, refined and graceful movements of ballerinas and their external beauty fascinate. But how much energy is spent on all this beauty, the audience sometimes does not even guess. But the main character, Yulia Olshanskaya, has a long way to go from an enthusiastic provincial girl who pulled out a "lucky ticket" to the prima of the Bolshoi Theater. The highlight of this movie is that the main roles are played by real ballerinas.
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13. Duelist (2016)
Rating: 6.6
Genre: drama
What does a Russian nobleman need to do to whitewash his tarnished honor? Challenge the abuser to a duel. But in duels, they sometimes get wounded and even killed. But you can hire a duelist instead of yourself. The main character of the film, the duelist Yakovlev (Pyotr Fedorov), is just such a “replacement”. He is not afraid of death, but one day the almighty Count Beklemishev (played by Vladimir Mashkov) becomes the customer of Yakovlev, who destroyed the former life of the duelist.
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12. Major Thunder (2017)
Rating: 6.7
Genre: action, adventure
The only short film among the novelties of Russian films in 2017 will delight those who love spectacular action, stylish and brutal heroes, as well as an unconditional victory of good over evil. Investigator from St. Petersburg Igor Grom with a kind word and a pistol fights villains of all stripes, and does it so effectively that James Bond nervously smokes with envy. Our hero does not have superpowers, like the "imported" Captain America or a special suit, like Iron Man, but he knows how to calculate the situation several moves ahead, skillfully shoots and fights, and also ... fantastically modest.
Made "Major Thunder" based on a series of comics, which are being dealt with by the Russian publishing house "Bubble".
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11. Earthquake (2016)
Rating: 6.7
Genre: drama
The action in the film takes place against the backdrop of a terrible natural phenomenon - an earthquake in Armenia, which claimed the lives of 25 thousand people. The two main characters, Konstantin Berezhnoy and Robert Melkonyan, find themselves in the same rescue squad. And Robert recognizes in Constantine the man, through whose fault his relatives died in a car accident.
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10. Paradise (2016)
Rating: 6.7
Genre: historical drama
Andrei Konchalovsky's painting about World War II and an emigrant from Russia who ended up in occupied France. For harboring Jewish children, she was first thrown into prison and then placed in a concentration camp. The circumstances in which the main character Olga has to survive, her painful love relationship with SS officer Helmut, photographs and words of the survivors make the audience keenly empathize with what is happening. And the black and white scale of the film only enhances the contrast between good and evil shown in the film. Before the creation of "Paradise", the authors studied hundreds of hours of documentary military chronicles and documents from the archives of Europe and the United States.
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9. Collector (2016)
Rating: 6.8
Genre: drama, thriller
The film, which fell in love with the picky Russian viewers and critics thanks to the excellent performance of Konstantin Khabensky. In the center of the plot is the collector Arthur, who knocks out debts not with the help of brute force, but learning about his “victims” all the ins and outs, and skillfully manipulating them psychologically. One day Arthur receives a video that radically changes his previously quite prosperous life. Friends turn away from him, his wife treats him with complete indifference, and the authorities are thinking of "pointing the door." And the collector will have to prove to himself that he is not yet a completely lost person.
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8. The monk and the demon (2016)
Rating: 6.8
Genre: fantastic comedy
Oh, this evil spirit. Even outside the walls of the monastery one cannot escape her. The novice of the monastery, Ivan Semyonovich, became convinced of this, in whom the evil one under the name Legion moved in. The demon tempts Ivan with all his might, and their confrontation grows in the course of the plot.
The film's eccentricity, combined with deep dialogues and irony, make it one of the best Russian films ever.
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7. Ivan (2016)
Rating: 6.8
Genre: drama
The life of ex-pilot Ivan, a plane crash survivor, was boring and aimless. He worked as an ambulance driver and did not know that he would meet a little girl-vagrant Tonya, who would change his gray existence. The piercing performance of Kirill Polukhin and Polina Gukhman, pleasant music and the general atmosphere of the film allow the viewer to fully emotionally immerse himself in what is happening on the screen.
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6. Champions: Faster. Higher. Stronger (2016)
Rating: 6.9
Genre: sports drama
The story of three champions (Svetlana Khorkina, Alexander Karelin and Alexander Popov), who together brought the country 9 Olympic gold medals. Their path to sports Olympus, dramas and disappointments based on real events, will be interesting even for people far from sports.
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5. Apprentice (2016)
Rating: 7
Genre: drama
Even an adult can find it difficult to distinguish moral from immoral, and false from truth. However, youth is uncompromising, and schoolboy Benjamin, fascinated by religion, believes that he knows exactly what is good and what is bad. His conviction "infects" other students, and now Benjamin has a small army of followers. Who will the newly minted fighter for the faith become: a modern prophet or a religious fanatic?
The script for The Apprentice is based on the play The Martyr by the German playwright Marius von Mayenburg. Director Kirill Serebrennikov transferred the action from German realities to modern Russian ones.
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4. Time of the first (2017)
Rating: 7.4
Genre: thriller, adventure
During the Cold War, two superpowers - the United States and the Soviet Union - vied for primacy in space exploration. The flight of Yuri Gagarin was a triumph for the USSR, and the next step was a man's exit into outer space. The risk was enormous, but time was running out, because the prestige of the state was at stake.The film "The Time of the First" was based on real events about the first in the history of mankind, cosmonaut Alexei Leonov's spacewalk. Viktor Blagov, an employee of RSC Energia, was involved in the project, which took one of the first places in the selection of Russian films in 2017. He was one of the supervisors of the launch of the Voskhod-2 spacecraft.
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3.28 Panfilovites (2016)
Rating: 7.5
Genre: war drama
Among the novelties of Russian films, this is one of the rare representatives of truly popular cinema. After all, most of the funds (over 34 million rubles) for the shooting were collected through crowdfunding. The rest was financed by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan, the FR and the Gaijin Entertainment company. Professionally filmed battles, the absence of long empty conversations and love dramas, excellent musical accompaniment, hourly, not ostentatious, feat of people who defend their homeland - these are the main, but not the only strengths of this tape. Watching "Panfilov's 28" is recommended not only for fans of military history films, but also for everyone who can call himself a patriot.
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2. Dislike (2017)
Rating: 7.6
Genre: drama
When parents stop loving each other, the child suffers the most. This is exactly what happens in an ordinary Moscow family, where mom and dad "sleep and see" divorce and harass each other with daily quarrels. Once their 12-year-old son Alyosha breaks down and disappears from the house.
A lifelike and truthful film about modern Russia, which casually, without lakes of tears and pretentious speeches, highlights the problems of marriage, love and children. It will appeal to fans of melodramas and those who like to reflect on the moral message of the film, and not forget its plot immediately after leaving the cinema.
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1. Crew (2016)
Rating: 7.7
Genre: drama, thriller, adventure.
The film "Crew" in 2016 is a talented remake of the Soviet film of the same name directed by Alexander Mitta. The main character is a young, self-confident, ambitious pilot Alexei Gushchin (Danila Kozlovsky) becomes an intern with Captain Leonid Zinchenko (Vladimir Mashkov). The crew will have an ordinary flight, which, due to a sudden volcanic eruption, turns into salvation from a fiery hell. But "The Crew" is not just a disaster film; the plot also includes a love line and the problem of the father's relationship with his teenage son, and overcoming one's own fears. The majority of viewers highly appreciated the excellent special effects, quality camera work and catchy music.
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The historical drama "Matilda" promises to become a sensation of the national cinema in 2017.
Around this film about the love of the last Russian emperor Nicholas II and the ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya, a fair amount of hype has already risen. On the initiative of United Russia deputy Natalya Poklonskaya, Matilda was checked by philologists, lawyers, cultural experts and psychologists, and the results of the examination were sent straight to the Prosecutor General's Office. According to experts, the film by Alexei Uchitel showed a negative image of Nicholas II, which only strengthens the connection with the ugly, “like a mouse or a rat” ballerina. However, after a series of checks, the Prosecutor General's Office did not find anything in Matilda that could offend the feelings of believers (recall that Nicholas II is canonized). The film will be released on October 25, and thanks to anti-advertising, many viewers who had not previously planned to go to the cinema will definitely watch Matilda.
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I like the film Monk and the Devil, the film has a characteristic humor and satire.